The Songbird and the Quidditch Player
by Lucie127
Summary: Lily Evans has always been ridiculed by the whole school for no reason other than she's different. Can one Quidditch player and his friends make her trust and open up again?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction, and I hope you like it. Please no super harsh reviews, although constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize, I don't own. It belong to J.K. Rowling.

Lily Evans was sitting at her desk correcting a music piece piece that she had written herself for violin.. She automatically corrected a wrong note tutting herself for making such a careless mistake. The piece she had written over the course of the summer was coming along wonderfully. Sighing she leaned back in her chair, thinking that a shoulder massage would be just great at the moment. At sixteen years old (nearly seventeen), Lily was a petite girl, who barely weighed 95 pounds (not that she would ever admit that to anyone). With sparkling, emerald green eyes, long auburn hair, an oval shaped face with delicate features, _and_ a great mind, Lily was seemingly perfect at first glance.

Just when she was debating with herself about taking her dog Lena out for a walk to cure her boredom, a loud crash from downstairs sent her into a panic.

"Granddad? What happened? Are you okay?" Lily yelled frantically as she rushed down the stairs. "Granddad!"

"I'm okay, Lily." The old man said with a twinkle in his eye as he bent to pick up the box he just dropped.

"You have got to be more careful!", Lily exclaimed, as she rushed to his side. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes my dear little bird, I am sure.", he responded ruffling her hair gently. Lily mock glared at him for the nickname. She was often called 'little bird' or 'songbird' by her remaining family because she was an amazing musician. Lily had taught herself how to play the violin, guitar, piano, and cello at a professional level all between the ages of three until the current day. She had the voice of an angel, and was an amazing composer.

Lily just sighed thinking about how useless it was to argue with him. He always won by sprouting some random, old-person wisdom that had Lilys' mind puzzling hours after. "Well, I'm going to take Lena for a walk. I'll be back before dinner.", Lily told him as she walked over to where her dog was carefully watching her by the door.

"Be careful, and don't forget that Dani is coming home tomorrow!", he responded. "I want you to make sure he has clean sheets on his bed."

Lily paused from the doorway and turned back to face him. "Since when is Dani visiting?", she asked.

"Since he want to see you before you go back to Hogwarts until Christmastime.", he responded smiling at her.

"Okay.", Lily said recovering and quickly exiting the house. "See you later". Lily thought about how nice it would be to see Dani again before school started. Dani was her cousin, but he was more like her brother. Lily had lived with her grandfather, Christopher Evans, since she was nine years old. Dani had always lived there since his mother, Lily's aunt, had left Dani with her father and had never come back. She had problems to say the least. Not that Dani cared much. He was now nineteen years old. He still lived at home, but was often away volunteering at and Institute in London for abused kids. It was Lily's belief that, although they had their fair share of family spats and teasing, you couldn't find a better person.

Lily sang to herself quietly under her breath. It was a soothing Welsh lullaby. She spoke fluent Welsh as well as English as that was her father and grandfather's first language. Her thoughts turned to why she had had to move in with her grandfather.

Six Years Ago...

"_Daddy, look at that cute puppy!", an energetic, 9 year old Lily exclaimed, as she and her parents passed a service dog training center. _

_Mr. Evans looked to where his daughter was wildly gesturing and laughed quietly. He bent down to her level and said "That dog is going to save lives one day Lilyflower."_

_Lily couldn't take her eyes off of one beautiful white and black puppy. It looked like she was looking at her too. Lily felt very curious and wanted to go pet her. There was something very special about that dog. The dog woofed in greeting to her and wagged her tail. Lily smiled but her father pulled her along and she reluctantly followed him. _

_They were going to visit Granddad for a week, and Lily was so excited. They finally arrived home after a short while longer. Her father, Henry instructed her to sit for a moment while he got his suitcase. He smiled at her one last time and left. Lily hummed to herself. Her eyes fell on a picture of her mother, Rose. Rose had died three years ago. Lily would never forget when she walked in and found her mommy asleep on the floor. She had had a brain aneurysm. It was very unexpected. That was the only time Lily had ever seen her Daddy cry. _

_Lily had gotten her delicate form from her mother. But that was it. Her mother had blonde hair and blue eyes like Petunia. Lily took after her father that way. Henry Evans had the same almond-shaped emerald green eyes and dark red hair, but was tall, broad shouldered, and a well developed man. However, for all his size, he couldn't hurt someone if he tried. _

_Lily sighed and looked away. She hoped that someday she could think of her mother and not want to cry. One minute she was just sitting there, and the next she was lying on the ground next to flaming debris. The world looked hazy and her lungs were filling with smoke. Lily tried to scream but it came out muffled. What on earth had happened? She could hear people screaming outside and sirens in the distance. _

"_Daddy?", she tried to call to them, but it came out garbled, and she coughed trying to clear the smoke from her lungs. Black was invading her vision and then she felt a wet nose thrust in her face. She felt something pulling at her arm and she grabbed onto it. Her vision was swimming, and she was coughing desperately, but she held onto the wriggling body. Her feet moved as she was dragged, and then she felt fresh air hit her face. _

_Instantly she felt hands grab her and an air mask was thrust onto her face. She felt disoriented and then everything went black. When she came too she was lying on a bed in a white room. She could hear voices out in hall. She felt fine except for the fact that her throat was burning and raw and her lungs felt like then had been torn out of her body, filled with acid, and put back in. _

_She looked over and saw a small black and white ball of fur by her feet staring at her. The ball of fur whined and then she remembered grabbing onto it and the small body that had pulled her out of the burning building. "H-hi puppy." She said in a raspy voice and then winced and cleared her throat. The puppy wagged her tail twice before continuing to stare at her. _

_Just then the door opened. Lily was then told by her grandfather how her parents hadn't survived and how the puppy; who she could keep, had saved her life. Lily had no idea how the puppy had followed her, but didn't question it. The building had collapsed about a minute after she had emerged. Her sister Petunia was unreasonably furious with her for surviving while their daddy hadn't, and decided to move in with some of their mother's relatives. _

_They scared Lily slightly so she numbly shook her head when asked if she wanted to go with her sister. Once so close, they hardly even spoke anymore._

_She named the puppy Lena after her dead grandmother, who had always spoken about unexpected angels, and moved in with Christopher Evans when she was released from the hospital. _

END OF FLASHBACK

Lily's singing faltered as she remembered and a tear slipped down her cheek. Nothing had been the same since her dads death. She had been depressed for months afterwards, and still had nightmares about the fire, and both of her dead parents bitterly accusing her of not being able to save them. The police had put the explosion that had killed her father down to a gas leak.

Her thoughts changed to school. Two more days she thought glumly. Two more days until I have to go back to school. Now, Lily loved Hogwarts like every student. She loved the classes and the wildness of magic. She had top grades in every class except for Transfiguration.

What she hated about school was the kids. She had no real friends. She had been still messed up about her family and therefore shy and standoffish when she had arrived at Hogwarts in her First Year. Kids thought she was weird, and she was made fun of often. Especially the Marauders. The four boys were rude and constantly bullied and taunted her. Nobody knew she was orphaned, and they thought she was getting special treatment because she was allowed a dog at school.

Of course, everyone loved Lena. Heck, her dog was more popular than she was! The real reason Lena was there was because she was Lily's Familiar. That meant they were bonded in a special magical way and could communicate with each other. Lena was very intelligent and super protective of Lily. The second she thought Lily was in danger, her inner wolf would come out. Lily had told her to leave the other kids alone. She had to learn to stand up for herself. Lena had reluctantly complied.

Lily glanced at her watch and cursed. "Lena, we gotta get home now, or we'll be late."

Lena turned around and trotted back to her side as they walked home together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: This chapter is going to be a little boring, and I apologize. It's just a filler, so bear with me. Nothing too dramatic happens. **

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Lily pushed her trolley further into Kings Cross Station. Dani was following closely behind with his hands shoved in his pockets. The past two days had been great. Dani had told her all about the Institute, and had encouraged her to finish the music she had been obsessing over. They had teased each other and laughed like they had never spent any time apart.

The fun was over though. This year Lily had to do well, and put her studies first. No time to cry over the Marauders calling her names and pulling pranks on her (not that she had ever cried in front of anyone at Hogwarts). They hadn't bothered her as much last year, and maybe they would forget she existed this year. She was Head Girl, and she was going to do a good job. Even if that meant losing her wits at the same time. She could only hope that the Head Boy was someone easy and dependable. She trusted Dumbledore's judgment however, so she wasn't too worried.

They had finally reached the barrier. She turned to Dani, anxiously fingering the silver, emerald locket that hung around her neck. It was an Evans family heirloom, given to her by her father. Dani put his hands on her shoulders and Lily hesitantly looked into his matching eyes.

"Lily, you can do this." Dani said in a low voice.

"I know, but I'm still nervous." Lily replied. She didn't know why Dumbledore had picked her. Out of everyone in the school, Lily was probably the worst candidate for the job.

"It's okay to be nervous, but remember that you were picked for the Head Girl position for a reason." Dani said and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I love you Lils, stay safe and owl me every day. I'll see you at Christmas."

"Owl you every day, you say." Lily teased. "I can tell someone's going to miss me."

Dani smiled back and said "I'm going to miss you, but I'm going to miss Lena even more!". Lily giggled as he dramatically hugged her dog who looked quite confused as to why Dani was mauling her. "You keep my little bird safe, you hear." he said seriously patting Lena's head before straightening.

"Love you Dani. C'mon Lena, we don't want to be late." Lily said. With one last look at her cousin, she turned and walked through the barrier with Lena at her heels.

She was instantly thrust into the commotion of students and parents and slowly struggled towards the train. She finally managed to load her trunk and she and Lena hopped aboard.

They managed to find an empty compartment without being bothered. She was praying to God that they wouldn't have a run in with Riley and her gang of bimbos. They were even worse than the Marauders. They would pick on her in that way that only girls can. They called her anorexic and made fun of her family. They didn't know her parents were dead, so it always brought back painful memories. She curled up on her seat and soon dozed off.

She woke up with a jolt when she heard voices outside her compartment. Lena looked up lazily to see if she was alright and then returned her head to her paws.

"How's James, Riley?" a nasally voice belonging to Melissa Brennans asked.

"Oh, you will never guess what happened! Jamsie was made Head Boy!" an obnoxious voice answered. Lily bit back a groan. This was the worst news she had heard all day! And yes, Potter and Riley Simms were dating. They were like the couple from hell.

"I can't believe that you weren't made Head Girl, Riley." some nameless girl said. The others made noises of agreement.

"I was so sure I was going to get it." Riley answered. "Dumbledore probably made a mistake. I am like top of our year!" Lily bit back a laugh at this new piece of information. Riley, in her opinion was as dumb as bricks. She only passed by forcing other students to do her work for her.

"I thought Evans was." A new voice answered. Marlene, Lily thought. She was the most tolerable of the bunch. She was the Remus of Riley's group.

"That little freak?" Riley answered. Lily was reminded strongly of Petunia. "I don't think so." They moved on to find a compartment. The rest of the train ride was uneventful. When she noticed that they were nearing the station, she quickly changed into her robes and put her wand in her pocket. She kept her head down exiting the train and got into a carriage.

Before it left however, the door opened and two boys scrambled in. Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. She stared at them in surprise.

"Hi. James and Sirius are in a carriage with Riley and her friends. There was no room. Do you mind if we sit here?" Remus asked. She noted with amusement the bit of desperation in his voice and nodded.

"C'mere Lena." Lily said quietly, trying to make more room for them. Remus patted Lena on the head and she wagged her tail twice before settling in next to Lily. They made small talk for about a minute before falling silent. They seemed uncomfortable, but Lily just seemed bored. They parted ways when they arrived at the castle. Lily walked up the stone steps. Her last year, she thought. She loved Hogwarts, but it would be so much better if she had friends. 'I can do this.' Lily thought. She took a deep breath and entered the castle.

**Authors Note**

**Sorry this chapter was so boring. I swear it will get better. I didn't want her to have a run-in with the Marauders just yet. I have my reasons. Please review! And thank you so much JessandDarcy for being my first reviewer! And you are probably the first one reading this. I'm going to try to update regularly, but I am constantly rewriting my chapters, so it's a process. -Lucie127**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Here's the third chapter! I hope you like it. The story will pick up pace when the classes start. **

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling. **

Lily quickly walked through the entrance doors to the Great Hall. She took a seat by herself at the end. She saw Riley look at her and whisper something that made the other girls laugh.

'At least I won't have to share a dorm with those weirdos this year.' Lily thought. Heads were lucky enough to get their own dorms. The only downside was that she would be living very close to Potter.

She listened as the Sorting took place and clapped politely as new Gryffindors were added. She thought about how much she was going to miss playing the piano. There was one located in the corner of the Great Hall. Some people messed around with it, but otherwise it was left alone. Lily would sometimes sneak down in the middle of the night to play, but only for very short periods of time. She was always afraid of getting caught. She was jolted out of her daze by the Headmaster beginning his speech.

"Welcome to another wonderful year at Hogwarts." He began. He said the usual; no going in the Forbidden Forest, no dungbombs and magic in the corridors, etc. Lily began to zone out again until he said, "The Head Boy this year is Mr. James Potter." Riley and most of the females in Gryffindor almost fell out of their seats clapping, and Lily smirked to herself. Potter stood up and waved. "and the Head Girl this year will be Miss Lily Evans." There was a slightly stunned silence while there was a smattering of applause.

Riley turned to Lily with an angry look on her overly made up face. Lily's face was flushed and she could feel people looking at her. Dumbledore continued; "If the two Heads could meet me after dinner by the statue of Milfred the Strange, that would be excellent. Let the feast begin!"

Lily took a small amount of food and ate slowly. Her mind continued to think about her violin piece. After dinner she walked over to where Dumbledore was waiting.

"Hello, Professor." Lily said kindly.

"Hello Miss Evans. I trust your summer was well?" He replied.

"It was wonderful, thank you. How was yours?" She asked.

"Very busy, but well, thank you. Aha. I see Mr. Potter almost upon us." He greeted James and then continued. "I believe you both know the Heads have their own dormitories. If you would follow me, I will show you its location." He told them about how they could tell their friends the password, but not to make it public information, and not to abuse the privilege. They finally arrived at the correct corridor.

"The current password is songbird." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. He smiled at Lily's surprised face and the portrait of a young girl holding some flowers swung open. "Now, I must be going. There is a staff meeting that I mustn't be late to." With that, he turned around and walked away whistling softly.

Lily entered first. She smiled at the beautiful room. It resembled the Gryffindor Common Room, but slightly smaller with a staircase that led to two doors at the top. There was a fire crackling, and she could hear Potter come in behind her. Then something caught her eye. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she moved over for a closer look.

There was a beautiful grand piano in the corner of the vast room. All her music was set up already the way she liked, and her violin, and guitar were on the floor next to the piano. There was a metronome, and music stands along with a tuner. Lily almost wanted to cry it was so wonderful. Before, she had had to play in an abandoned classroom. That got tiring fast. She walked over and touched the keys. There was even a picture of her dad sitting next to the stand on the piano. The exact way it was at home. She smiled.

A cough from behind her caused her to whirl around. James Potter was standing right in front of her. He looked at her for a second and then back to the music section. "What's this?" He asked in his deep voice. Lily was surprised he hadn't insulted her yet.

"My music stuff." She replied. "Look Potter, I want to do a good job as Head Girl this year. Do you think it's possible that we could call a truce?"

He looked at her sheepishly. "I was going to suggest the same. My parents will kill me if I mess this up."

Lily bit her lip and said "Ok then, a truce it is. Goodnight." She walked up the staircase and went into her room. She barely had time to look for a second before a ball of fur slammed into her and knocked her down. "Ooof." She groaned as she tried to get Lena off of her. "Hi sweetie. Yeah I'm happy to see you too, girl." She finally got the excited dog off of her and looked around her room.

Her trunk was sitting at the base of the huge bed. The room all a soft blue and white, and the furniture was sand colored. It was beautiful. There were posters of her favorite composers on the wall; Bach, Mozart, etc. There was a dog bed on the ground in the corner, but she knew Lena was probably going to end up lying at the end of her bed. Lily had taught herself to sleep curled up in a ball so she wouldn't get crushed by her giant dog. For all her sweetness, Lena was the size of a horse. More than one time, Lily had been afraid of dying due to suffocation because her dog was sleeping on top of her.

Needless to say, Lena had been banished to the bottom of the bed, and Lily slept in the fetal position. The system worked. Lily waved her wand and her clothes all flew out of her trunk and into the bureau. She got changed and flopped into bed, exhausted. Lena jumped up and sprawled across the bottom. It was a good think Lena didn't shed much. Lily's last thought before she went to be was 'tomorrow is going to be a long day'.

**Authors Note: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! JessandDarcy- Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. and Lilyflower11- Thank you for the idea. There will definately be flashbacks in the story. I just haven't decided how soon. The Lily and James romance will come a little later, because they have to become friends first, and I'm still thinking about how fast that is going to happen. Keep reviewing! **

** -Lucie127**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note; Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it. Review and tell me if you do or don't! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling**

Lily awoke the next morning at six thirty so she could put everything where she wanted it to be. She pulled some photos out of her backpack and set them on the bureau. She smiled as she looked at a picture of her and Dani when they were younger.

Flashback

"You can't catch me!" a young Lily taunted her cousin gleefully.

"You wanna bet on that!" Dani shouted back and gained speed. She squealed and kept running. Dani finally tackled her and they both landed in a giant leafpile laughing. Lena barked and ran around them anxiously until she was certain they were both unharmed.

Their grandfather, who had just spent the October morning raking all the leaves, watched as his hard work was done away with. He was shook his head and smiled. He took out a camera and snapped a photo of his crazy grandchildren.

"Hey!" Lily shouted indignantly.

"Why did you take our picture." Dani demanded.

Chris Evans just smiled and replied, "It was the least you could do for me after you ruined the pile." Both of the children looked guilty as they gazed at the lawn where leaves were now strewn everywhere. He chuckled, "No worries, it looks more festive this way. Now let's go get some hot chocolate and we'll make a campfire when it gets dark." Both of the children grinned and ran inside.

End of Flashback

Lily felt homesick as she finished setting all the pictures up. She missed Dani and Granddad already. She went into the bathroom and showered. She brushed her teeth and got dressed in her uniform. She still had about forty minutes before she had to go to breakfast, so he decided to play violin. She cast a spell that would soften the noise, so she wouldn't disturb Potter, and began to play a fast-tempo piece by Bach.

Most adult players had a hard time playing so skillfully, and music was one of the things Lily prided herself on. It just came naturally to her. She had just always loved it. Sometimes, she would practice for hours a day, until her fingers felt like they were going to fall off.

'Riley wasn't a terrible person' Lily reasoned and she regretfully put her violin away. It was just that being popular meant too much to was unhealthy for one person to be _that_ concerned with their social status. She picked up her bag and went down to the Great Hall.

There were a few people there. She could hear them "whispering" about her. They might as well have been talking into a microphone.

"I heard that Dumbledore just felt sorry for her because her dad is in jail for drug use." Some Hufflepuff girl said right behind her. "It makes sense", she continued "Why else would _she_ be Head Girl?"

Lily turned around so she was facing the girl. "You realize that I can hear everything you're saying right?" she said mimicking her whisper-shout. "You might want to work on that." With that she turned around, feeling proud of herself. She liked the feeling of standing up for herself, and the look on the girls face had been priceless.

Professor McGonagall gave her timetable. She was taking hard classes this year, but she knew that she could easily keep up with the work. She heard more whispers about her being a skank and Dumbledore feeling sorry for her because she was such a loser. She was surprised that she didn't really care.

'Let people talk about me behind my back.' she thought grimly. 'It's exactly where they belong.'

The first half of the day passed uneventfully. People were still telling their theories about how she came to be Head Girl to anyone who would listen. Lily nearly laughed aloud when she heard the girl whom she had told off at breakfast tell an attentive crowd about how Lily had threatened her with a knife if she told anyone about her father.

Riley, it seemed, was not in such a good mood as Lily was. She openly glared at her in all of their classes. Lily was starting to get creeped out by it, and sarcastically waved to her when she caught Riley at it again. She heard Black snicker as Riley turned beet red and turned sharply in her seat.

She had just come out of her last class of the day, when Riley cornered her in the hallway with her slutty friends.

"Hey there you little slut." She said in a menacing purr. "So I've like heard all about the rumors about how you stole my position, and I would like to know the truth."

Lily stared at her blankly. "Stole your...huh?".

"My _position,_ you little freak." She growled stepping closer. "I know you're not that bright, but try to keep up mkay?"

"I didn't _steal _anything from you Simms. Now if you would excuse me, I need to go to the library." Riley's cold bony hand reached out and caught her wrist. Her grip was painfully tight.

"Not so fast, _Evans_. I want you to admit it". Riley said in cold smugness.

"Admit _what_?" Lily asked in exasperation.

"That you're mother is a whore and your dad is a drug addict. I mean everyone knows t_hat's_ why you're Head Girl. Dumbledore just feels sorry for you." Riley simpered.

Lily felt her face heat up. The crowd that had formed behind her tittered. This was taking too far. She remembered her sweet parents and all the times Riley had insulted her. This had gone on for too one swift movement, Lily had pulled her wrist out of Riley's grasp and slapped her across the fae. Hard. There was silence. "I have put up with you for far too long." Lily said in a low voice. "Shut up about my family. _M'kay_?" She said in a falsely sweet voice. Riley had never said anything that cruel before in front of a crowd of people.

"What's going on here?" she heard Potter's voice ask as he pushed his way through the crowd with his friends in tow.

Riley was touching her cheek where a red mark was forming. She stared at Lily with unbottled rage. "You filthy little mudblood." Riley snarled. She flew at Lily, but Black caught her around the waist and held her back. James grabbed Lily's bag and swung it over his shoulder. He grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her away.

Lily wished Lena had been there. Riley wouldn't have dared confront her if her dog had been there. Unfortunately, she was with Hagrid. Hagrid loved having her around, and Lena loved him right back.

She could hear the rest of Potter's friends running behind them trying to catch up. He finally reached his destination; the Heads common room. He growled the password and pulled her in roughly behind him. The rest of the Marauders stumbled in behind them, panting.

Potter finally released her arm and set her bag down. He turned to her and asked "What happened?" in a clipped tone.

"She cornered me. Insulted me and then my family. I slapped her. She called me a mudblood", she forced the word out. Potter and his friends flinched. "and then she tried to attack me, but you intervened." Lily said in a monotone, wondering why the hell they even cared.

"You seriously need to break up with the nutcase, mate." Black said to Potter.

"I know." Potter answered. He turned to Lily. "Are you alright?" he asked, much to her surprise.

"I'm fine. Nothing I haven't dealt with in the past." She said carefully, giving them suspicious looks.

"That wrist doesn't look fine to me." Remus retorted. Lily looked at the wrist she was rubbing subconsciously. There was a large bruise forming from Riley's death grip.

Potter grabbed it gently. "I didn't do this right?" He asked looking worried. Lily tried to pull it away but he refused to let it go.

"No it was your psychotic girlfriend. Now if you would please return my arm.'' Lily said in forced patience. Instead, Potter pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. Instantly the bruising began to disappear. Once it was fully gone, he let her go and collapsed in an armchair.

"I'm sorry." Potter said looking at Lily. Lily was truly puzzled by now.

"For...?" She asked waving at him to finish.

"For being so cruel to you." Black finished. "You didn't deserve it."

Lily was truly mystified by now. "Is this joke? Some kind of prank to get back at me for slapping your girlfriend?"

"No." Remus answered. "They're sincere. I promise."

"It's true." Peter piped up. Lily decided to believe them for now.

"So... what do you want then?" she asked slowly.

"Well. We heard all the rumors going around the school, and we realized that we didn't know you, and yet we were still... well arrogant gits to you."

"This is true." Lily interjected. "Go on."

James smiled and continued. "So we thought about how we could make it up to you. We decided that we are going to be your friends. Even if you don't want us to."

There was a solemn moment of silence. Then Lily burst out laughing. "I got to hand it to you guys. You had me going for a second there." she said wiping her eyes. Then she said in a more serious tone, "So, seriously what do you want?"

They all looked at each other. "We want to be your friend. Honest. I know you don't trust us, but we called a truce. We're just going to have to prove that we're trustworthy."

Black smirked. "Like Prongs here said. We're going to be your friends, whether you like it or not."

**Authors Note; Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers! Please review, even if it's bad. I want to know what you think! If you have any suggestions, I'm open to anything! -Lucie127**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! I hope you like it**

**Disclaimer- Anything you recognize, belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Lily was feeling extremely weirded out by the Marauders so-called 'friendship.' She apparently was not the only one feeling baffled by this. When she had walked into the Great Hall for dinner with the Marauders flanking her protectively, shooting glares at the people who coughed insults as she passed like usual. Heads had turned at this, and whispers broke out.

She sat down in her usual spot and sighed in annoyance as she felt Potter and Black slide into the seats on either side of her. Remus and Peter sat across from them.

"Look," Lily began. "As... strange and slightly creepy as this is, I have some stuff I have to get done during dinner tonight."

The Marauders shrugged "Go ahead then" Black said with an amused smile. "We're not stopping you."

Lily bit back a groan. She had been working on some new lyrics for a song, and was now in the middle of creating the melody. She was also working on creating a complex piano solo from the lullaby her father used to sing her called 'Edelweiss.' She had planned to work on the lullaby tonight. She usually wasn't bothered. Instead, she piled the same small amount of food onto her plate, and began to eat stiffly.

"Is that all you eat?" Peter asked looking taken aback. The other boys were staring at her looking shocked.

"Yes." She said slowly, shooting them a confused look. She then looked at their plates, which were overflowing. Her eyes widened.

"You can eat _all_ of that?" She asked thoroughly repulsed.

"Well, of course my dear little flower." Sirius answered. Lily rolled her eyes at the nickname.

She started fidgeting as ideas for the lullaby coursed through her head. At last she couldn't take it anymore, and grabbed her music out of her bag. She immediately crossed off a line and started to rewrite it. Sirius stared at it like it was a foreign object. James looked intrigued.

"You write music?" He asked curiously.

"Mhmm." Lily hummed back distractedly.

"My dad plays piano." He said and went back to his food. Sirius was still staring at it as if it were an alien. Lily glanced at him, and an amused smile flitted across her face. The other boys grinned at each other when they noticed this. They had finally made her smile. Their happiness was short-lived however, when Riley, tired of waiting for the nonexistent prank, slithered down the aisle and plopped into James' lap.

"Jamsie!" She screeched in his ear. "I was waiting for you! Why are you sitting over here with the school loser?"

"Better than sitting with the school slut." Sirius muttered and everyone , including James, hid a smile. Riley glared at him for a second and then went back to cooing at James. It was rather repulsing to everyone witnessing.

"Look, Riley we need to talk." James said awkwardly. He led her out of the Great Hall. The Marauders exchanged worried but elated looks.

Thirty seconds later, they heard loud wailing. Riley entered looking furiously at Lily. She stalked over, got in her face and snarled, "I know that this is your fault. Jamsie l_oves_ me. You are sooo dead, Mudblood." Before she had even finished, Sirius and Remus had jumped up, while Peter looked at her in disgust.

"Fuck off _Simms_". Sirius spat. Riley looked at the two imposing figures glaring at her. She glared at the wide-eyed Lily one more time, sneered, and walked off. James entered and jumped away from her. He had a red handprint on his cheek.

All in all, Lily thought, it had been an eventful dinner. The Marauders made sure she was okay (she was, after all she had dealt with much worse than petty schoolgirls), and then they all walked towards the Heads tower. Lily found she didn't mind their company much. They were nice and funny, once you got passed the arrogance.

Everyone sat down and Lily immediately drifted over to the piano. She quickly put a silencing charm, so they could do their homework in peace. She had already done most of hers during a free period. Lily hated procrastination. She began to play the lullaby. She made a few changes and then started over. She was so absorbed that she didn't realize that Remus had broken her silencing charm in curiousity.

She finally began to sing along with the melody, falsely confident that no one could hear her.

"_Edelweriss, Edelweiss_

_Every morning you greet me_

_Small and white_

_Clean and bright_

_you look happy to meet me_

_Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow_

_Bloom and grow forever_

_Edelweiss, Edelweiss_

_Bless my homeland forever" _

She repeated the phrase and then the song slowly ended. She felt happy with the song and smiled at the picture of her dad. She felt stares of her back and turn around. She found the Marauders staring at her looking flabbergasted **(A/N Hahaha I love that word! Sorry, I couldn't resist.) **She became suddenly aware that her charm was gone. Her face flushed from embarrassment.

"That was... amazing Lils." Sirius said softly. The others nodded in agreement.

Lily felt frozen...and tired. It had been a long and confusing day. She took a deep breath. "Thank you, I'm going to bed." She said quietly hurrying up the steps.

"I didn't know she could play like that!" James exploded when her door had closed.

"Or sing like that." Peter said quietly.

**Authors Note: Hey guys! I hoped you liked the new chapter! Keep reviewing please! Your reviews are what make me write! I swear. Thank you to all of you wonderful readers that do review. Sorry for the two day wait...I think that I'm getting the chapters up at a pretty good pace. I have no grand plan for this story... other than James and Lily eventually getting together (SPOILER). Just kidding.. you knew that from that start. Suggestions, comment... REVIEW! Love you guys! -Lucie127**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thank you to all of you who reviewed to the last chapter and yes; I am sure that this is my first fanfiction (you guys are so nice!). And to the guest who reviewed my story, I will try not to use any bad language in here, but it may come up. I just write the chapters as they come and try to avoid grammar errors. Sorry, I just don't like changing the characters language, because I think it tells the readers a little about their personalities. After all, they are teenagers. Sorry for any inconvenience. Now...on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer- Anything you recognize, belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Lily woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She hummed as she made her way into her bathroom. Her happiness was short-lived however, when she remembered the events of last night. Her face flooded red at how embarrassed she had been; and still was! How could she look them in the eyes again after they had heard her perform. No one in school even knew she was a music prodigy, except for the teachers.

She stepped out of the shower and put her uniform on grumpily. 'So much for my good mood', Lily thought frowning. She left her hair down and it spiraled and twisted down her back in soft curls. She hadn't worn it down at school in a while. She wondered idly about the sudden change.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she ran smack into Remus and nearly tumbled to the floor.

"Whoa there." Remus chuckled, easily steadying her. She stared at him in slight confusion.

"Why are you standing in front of my staircase?" She asked.

"Because my dear little flower, we were waiting for you to come down. We are all going to breakfast" Sirius replied before Remus could respond.

Lily sighed inwardly. Maybe she could pretend last night had never happened...

"Well, I hope you can live without me e, because I have to pick up man's best friend at Hagrids' right now. Lily said lightly.

"What about breakfast?" James asked.

"I'll pick up something at Hagrids' if I'm hungry." Lily replied moving towards the door.

"Sirius and I will join you." James said. "These two," he gestured to Remus and Peter, "are going to have to miss lunch. I cannot divulge any more information I'm afraid." He and Sirius strolled beside her. With their hand shoved in their pockets and their tall, slightly muscled frames, they reminded her a bit of Dani. She thought of home again. Granddad would be away on a business trip. They owned a family business that dealt with packaging. The company did a lot of charity work, and her grandfather was away too often for Lily's liking. When their grandfather would finally retire, Dani had already offered to run it . That was a relief to Lily, because she wanted nothing to do with it. Dani knew this. He would also be back at the Institute, helping children.

James and Sirius were chatting idly. They finally reached Hagrid's hut. He opened the door enthusiastically once he saw Lily and the two boys. He had always been a friend to Lily. He was so friendly and he watched Lena a lot. Lily was thinking of getting him a dog of his own before she left Hogwarts.

Lena, seeing Lily, leapt out and nearly tackled her to the ground. Lily smiled. She had missed Lena's familiar weight by her feet. It had been hard to fall asleep last night without her presence. She smiled at Hagrid and thanked him for taking care of her.

"S'a pleasure as always, Lily!" Hagrid said in his rough voice. He greeted the other boys and they talked about the upcoming Quidditch trials (James was captain and Sirius was a beater), while Lily caught up with Lena.

She could communicate with Lena, but not in the normal way. Lena would make small noises, and Lily understood the gist of it all. They had gone in the Forest and seen centaurs. They had gone through all of Hagrid's duties as gamekeeper, and played fetch with a large stick. Lily laughed softly at this. She was glad Lena had had a good time.

Lena was not so happy when she learned about the incident with Riley. She didn't understand that Lily's family had been insulted in a incredibly rude way. She just understood that Lily had been hurt, was still hurting, and that it was Riley's fault. Lily calmed her and turned back to the group.

"We better go to class if we don't want to be late." She said to James and Sirius. "Thank you again Hagrid."

The three, walked along the path. Lena stood close by Lily. Throughout the day, Lena refused to leave her side. The professors didn't mind, so long as she didn't interrupt the lesson. Professor McGonagall even patted her on the head much to the Marauders amusement.

"I knew Minnie had a soft side!" Sirius had exclaimed loudly, much to the dismay of McGonagall. The class had snickered.

The rest of the day passed quickly. The rest of the school had gotten used to the Marauders new friend (or 'victim' as Lily had muttered to herself, making James chuckle), but some (Riley and her gang), had refused to accept it. They muttered insults every chance they got Lily alone, which wasn't often. Apparently, when you got befriended by the Marauders, they also became your personal bodyguards. Sirius had gone as far as scooping her up and sprinting to the Heads common room, deeming the nearly empty corridor as 'too dangerous'.

Lily had smacked him when he set her down on the couch. She smacked him again when he had marveled at how light and tiny she was.

They all did their homework, and then the boys would discuss plans for their next prank, while Lily did her music softly in the corner. She had learned to stop playing lullabies late at night, as it put all the boys right to sleep. As a way of waking them up. She had charmed buckets of water to splash on their heads. She ran up to her room to avoid getting 'hugs' from the sopping boys.

She and James would start patrolling in a few days. The professors did the first two for some odd reason. Lily felt happier than she had in a long time. She knew that it would be harder in December. Her mother had died on the sixteenth. Needless to say, Christmas wasn't Lily's favorite holiday. All in all, it had been a great first week and a half of school.

**Thanks so much for reading! I got so many great suggestions. I am working on developing the characters, and James and Lily will hopefully start soon. This chapter was mainly supposed to show the comical and funny aspects of having the Marauders as your friends. It will get more serious later on, when they finally learn that she's an orphan, how her parents died, what happened to Petunia, and why she is allowed to have Lena at school, along with _how_ she got her. Want to find out their reactions? Keep reading! And please, please, REVIEW! Your comments make me feel so good, and keep me writing. Love you guys!**

** -Lucie127**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there everyone! Sorry for the wait. I have been enjoying the past few days on break from writing, but now it's time for an update! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, belongs to J.K. Rowling**

Lily was waiting outside the Heads Common Room patiently. Tonight was the first night of patrols. She had written up the schedule for prefects patrols, as well as the Heads, so James could focus on the upcoming Quidditch tryouts. Lily enjoyed Quidditch as much as any other students, so she wanted the Gryffindor team to do well.

She was shaken out of her musings by James arriving, breathing heavily.

"Just... pranked... Slytherins. It was... epic." He panted. Lily rolled her eyes. As if he sensed a scolding was coming, he quickly continued. "It was just Mulciber and Avery." He countered regaining control of his breath. "They were the ones who cursed that Ravenclaw first year so badly he had to go to the Hospital Wing!"

Lily sighed, "Just try to be a little more responsible. I think you forget that you're Head Boy sometimes." He just smiled sheepishly and ruffled his hair.

There was silence for a few minutes. All that was heard through the corridors was their footsteps.

"So Lils," James began in a casual tone, "I realized earlier that we have been friends for a few weeks, and yet you have never mentioned your family, or where you live."

Lily grimaced slightly at the thought that she would have to skirt around this topic once more. She had heard all about the Marauders families and homes. She had been surprised to hear about Sirius living with the Potters, although it was true that the Blacks were a very prejudice family. All of them, save Sirius, had been in Slytherin.

"Yeah." She said uneasily. "Not much to tell, really." She trusted James and the others, she really did... kind of. She just was not ready to talk about it to anyone. She hadn't discussed this in years. Dani and Granddad hated talking about it, because they had both lost important people in their lives.

"Well there must be something to tell!" James exclaimed, not noticing that she was uncomfortable. "For starters, where do you live?"

"I live in a... house in Scotland." Lily said evasively. It was more like a mansion, with tons of acres.

"What do you like to do when you're home?" James asked easily.

"Ride the horses Snowbell and Lucy." Lily responded. "What do _you_ like to do when you're at home?" She asked, trying to deflect the conversation away from herself. She felt relieved as he began chatting away about Quidditch and pranking his parents.

The conversation flowed from there. He was really easy to talk to, and Lily enjoyed his company. If their friendship were to continue, she knew she would eventually have to tell the Marauders about her family, and what had happened to them. The patrol ended, and Lily padded away to bed, exhausted. She curled up with Lena, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Lily dreamt that she was standing in her old house. Her father was standing next to her. The familiar scene was starting to scare her, and she reached for his hand. She had barely touched it when there was an explosion of flames. Lily screamed and fell.

"Daddy!" She screamed, desperately trying to find him. She heard distant barking, but her vision started to black. Lena wasn't there to save her. Smoke filled her lungs and she heard a terrible _snap. _She opened her eyes just in time to see the ceiling falling on her. The house was collapsing in.

Lily bolted upright in her bed. She was gasping for air, and tears were streaming down her face. She thought the nightmares were over. She hadn't had one in so long. Lena nudged her face gently, knowing something was wrong. Lily hugged her sweet dog tightly, burying her face in Lena's thick fur. She gradually fell asleep again, and dreamt no more.

When Lily woke up the next morning, she had a pounding headache. She felt stiff and tired. She knew it was the after effects of the nightmare. They scared her like nothing else could. She got ready and figured the headache would go away in due time. She hated going to the hospital wing; or any hospital for that matter.

When she came down, she found a note on the couch in Sirius's untidy scrawl

'_Lily- gotta go to breakfast early for a prank. You'll see when you get there. -The Marauders'_

Lily was amused that they had even left a note. She left the common room. When she arrived at the Great Hall, she had to bite back a laugh. Every Slytherin was sporting bright red and gold hair, as well as a sour expression. The Marauders were looking proud of themselves, while admirers flocked around giving them praise.

Lily walked over and dropped a few seats down, away from the commotion. James immediately saw her, and slid down next to her. The rest following suit.

"So Lils," James said dropping an arm around her shoulders casually. "What do you think?" The rest of the Marauders looked at her eagerly.

Lily smirked and then said "I have to say I'm a little disappointed." They looked stunned.

"Disappointed?" Peter sputtered.

"I mean, this is great and all, but I was expecting something a little more...creative."

Sirius got out of his shock faster than the others. "What do you suggest we do?" He asked.

"I'm not giving out suggestions! I like to be surprised by this." Lily exclaimed.

"We have a tricky customer here." Remus observed. Lily stuck her tongue out at him, making him smile.

"Operation 'Shock Evans' is now in in motion." Sirius said, with slight excitement in his voice. Lily knew he loved being challenged by something like this.

"You look tired." James observed looking at her. She turned to look at him and found him closer than she had expected. She quickly ducked her head scolding herself 'This is not the time to find James Potter attractive!" She thought furiously.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep too well last night. Nightmares." She answered quietly.

"What about?" Remus asked looking a little concerned.

"It's nothing." She answered a little too quickly. The Marauders exchanged a wary look.

"Something bothering you?" James asked carefully.

"Nope!" Lily answered brightly. "I have to go...do something." She said lamely, getting up.

"I'll come with you." Remus said, starting to rise from his seat.

"No, that's okay." Lily said. She needed a few minutes alone to pull herself together. She didn't know what was wrong with her. "Stay here, I'll meet you at class." With that, she all but ran from the Great Hall.

The Marauders stared at her.

"Somethings up." James said quietly, furrowing his brow. "I want to know what it is." The rest nodded carefully in agreement.

**Hey guys! I hope you liked the new chapter! I LOVE all the reviews. You guys are so helpful and supportive! I love all your comments and suggestion. Really, I could not have better readers. Every comment brings a smile to my face, and encourages me to keep writing. Please review and tell me what you think! Love you all! -Lucie**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I hope you like the new chapter. Sorry for the wait. I don't know if I can update like I used to (twice a day or every other day), but I will try to make this regular. As strange as it sounds, I really like writing late at night, like eleven-one in the morning. And I haven't been able to write due to a black... and sharing my room for a week. Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough,anything you recognize does not belong to me.**

Once Lily had left the Great Hall, she hurried down the corridors, not really caring where she was going. She knew she was being unfair. In a way, the Marauders had a right to know why she was constantly hiding out in her little shell. The fact just remained; she hated talking about it!

Her Grandfather had been very worried about her after her father's death. She was only nine, and had been through so much. He had tried to make her go to therapy to 'talk about it', but Lily refused to speak to the man. She didn't care if she was being rude. The guy was _weird_!

He would always say 'you talk when you're ready, Lillian.' It always annoyed Lily that he called her that when it wasn't even her name! Anyways, Lily refused to speak, and the whole session was just spent in an awkward staring contest with each other.

Needless to say, the therapy sessions were quickly called off.

She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she hated talking about it, or the fact that she was achieving normalcy for once in her teenage years. She had friends back home, but had grown tired of them always tip-toeing around her, afraid of saying something that might upset her.

She finally had friends that didn't know anything (although they did suspect), and Lily loved it.

She was so lost in her musings, that she didn't notice a certain group of girls following her. She was jolted back to reality when a cold voice spoke.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't mudblood Evans. No boys hanging around you now I see?" Riley sneered at her. "I knew they would grow tired of you eventually. You are just not very...interesting, pretty, talented... I honestly wonder why they hung out with you in the first place."

"Really Riley, can we just let it go?" Lily asked tiredly. She was so sick of this girl's antics at this point, that she made no effort to fight back. She tried to walk around Riley, but the taller girl easily stopped her and shoved her into an empty classroom.

Lily stumbled, and her fingers found her wand. Before she could do anything however, one of Riley's stupid friends disarmed her.

"Look at you, all helpless and alone." Riley said triumphantly. "I told you this wasn't over."

Lily looked for escape routes, but her chances were slim of rushing past them. There were four of them...and one of her.

"Why are you doing this?" Lily asked desperately. She was almost in awe of how fast Riley's face turned purple. 'Okay...wrong thing to say' Lily thought to herself. Oops.

"Why am I doing this!?" Riley shrieked. "You ruined my life! You are a teachers pet, stole the prefect and HEAD GIRL title from me, and now you've stolen James!" She sent a curse at her, and Lily felt her something warm on her hands. She looked down in horror to see blood racing down her arm.

To he complete disgust, the other girls just smirked coolly and laughed. They looked at Riley as if to check and see if they were doing the right thing.

Riley swished her wand again and Lily felt her shoulder tear. She had never felt more helpless before. Not when her mother and father died. Not when her sister had practically disowned her, not even when she found out her Grandfather was sick.

She felt her leg break open and the blood kept rushing, she swayed on her feet. She was in shock. Her body felt paralyzed. She had never felt more weak in her life. Her last thought before the familiar blackness overtook her was 'Daddy would be disappointed in me.'

James POV.

First period was about to begin...and Lily wasn't here. Lily was always here. Like, _always. _I can't remember her ever being absent. A few minutes later, Riley and her gang of sluts sauntered in looked immensely pleased with themselves.

'Lily can take care of herself. Lily can take care of herself.' I chanted again and again in my head to calm down. There was nothing to worry about! I was being stupid. Yet something felt...off. I can't explain it. The last straw was when I saw Lena walk in alone and look around for Lily.

Lena looked unhappy. Her tail was between her legs and her ears were drooping. When she saw Lily wasn't there, she whined and ran out. Screw giving her time and privacy.

"Padfoot, do you have the Map?" I asked quickly trying to distract him from the blonde Ravenclaw he was chatting up.

"And then I hit the Bludger towards- what Prongs?" He asked looking at me.

"The Map you twit! I need the Map!" I said in annoyance. Class would begin in about two minutes, and I needed to get out of here if I wanted to check on Lily.

Sirius muttered something about me being a hormonal teenage girl, I glared at him, and he handed me the Map.

I hurried out of the classroom before Flitwick made him entrance, and tapped the Map with my wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly the Map sprang to life. I located Lily's dot. She was in a classroom a few minutes walk from here. I raced down the corridor, scolding myself for even worrying in the first place. I finally arrived. I threw the door open.

"Evans! I can't believe the Head Girl-" My words were cut short as my eyes widened in horror at the scene before me.

Lily's crumpled form lay on the ground...surrounded by blood. I numbly went to her side and shook her. "Lily! Please wake up!" I felt her pulse. It was faintly beating. I quickly stopped the bleeding wounds with my wand, although I knew they would need more care.

I stood and scooped her tiny form into my arms. Without hesitation, I raced to the Hospital Wing. I murmured nonsense to her, nearly crying in relief when I saw the familiar doors.

Madame Pomfrey came out of her office when she saw someone arrive and her expression quickly became alarmed when she noticed the blood-soaked girl cradled in my arms.

"Put her down here." She snapped, and summoned several potions as I complied. She made me sit on a bed next to Lily, and drew the curtains around her bed. I sat with my head in my hands, beating myself for not going with her. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I was upset.

In about half an hour, the curtains finally drew back. I leaped up, and before I could bombard her with questions, she raised a hand. "She will be fine, Mr. Potter. She is still unconscious, and has lost a lot of blood. Please let her rest." With that, she went into her office, and started to gather more potions.

I sat next to Lily and took her hand. Her beautiful face was pale and held sorrow even in sleep.

"She's going to be fine." I whispered to myself.

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the long wait... I almost gave up on this story to tell the truth. I hate it when authors so that, but I had the mother of all writers' blocks. I hope you guys understand... Please review! You have no idea how happy it makes me. Your reviews make me smile. Just write two words! I don't care! I love you guys! -Lucie127**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I know it's been so long and for that, I apologize. Things have been rather hectic lately, and this chapter hasn't had my attention. I need suggestions people! I have a slight idea of where this is going, but I'm not sure. Tell me how you think Lily and James should get together. This chapter signifies the start of healing for Lily. I can already tell you that's going to be a long process... that maybe James helps in? Tell me whatcha think! REVIEW! -Lucie**

_Lily was standing in a field with tall brown grass tickling her bare legs. She looked about seven years old, and was wearing a white summer dress. A soft breeze blew over the field, and she shivered and hugged herself. She began humming to herself and immediately felt better. This place was too quiet. Almost in response to her thought; she heard footsteps coming towards her. She looked up and saw her mum and dad standing in front of her. They were both smiling at her, but they looked sad. _

_Lily felt frozen as she stared at the two people she had loved more than anything. "_

_Mum? Dad?" She whispered. She wanted to go hug them, to tell them she loved them, but something told her not to. It wasn't time yet. _

_Her mother reached out a hand as if to touch her face, but began to fade. Her parents images blurred and started to disappear. Lily panicked. "No! No, please don't leave me! Mum! Dad!" Tears started running down her face. She looked around desperately. _

_The once beautiful field was now burnt and black. There were grey clouds above. The tall grasses were shriveled up. Somehow Lily knew that she was the only one who could make this place once again beautiful. It reflected her. She was too sad and couldn't let go of the past. She knew that her parents wanted her to, and she knew she needed to._

_The only problem was; she didn't know how._

She felt something soft against her face, and heard low voices murmuring. Her eyelashes fluttered and the voices ceased.

"Lily?" A low voice asked anxiously.

She opened her eyes and saw a few people, and a dog, looking at her with concern.

"What happened?" She managed to ask. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Remus opened his mouth to answer, but Madame Pomfrey pushed them aside.

"How are you feeling my dear?" She asked, checking her temperature.

"My head hurts a bit..." She said quietly.

"Of course, of course!" The matron handed her a potion. It tasted vile, but the pressure in her head instantly eased. Lena wagged her tail when Lily reached over to pet her softly. She looked so relieved, Lily managed a smile.

Over the next hour, Lily was forced to recount the story of how Riley and her friends had cornered her, and used a spell to cut her open to Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore. She had requested that the Marauders not be there. She didn't want them getting themselves into trouble by hurting the girls. She suspected that they already knew who was responsible.

She was informed that anyone involved in her injury would be suspended, and she was left to get some rest. Of course she didn't sleep a wink. She sat awake, thinking of her dreams. Seeing her parents faces like that had made the pain fresh again.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

_Flashback_

"_Daddy, why do people have to die?" A six year old Lily tearfully asked. Her mother's funeral would be the next day. _

_Her father lifted her up on his lap and sighed. "Well little bird,God takes people because he needs them." he explained softly. "He needs angels that will help Him protect all the people on earth. That's why he took your mum." _

"_But why couldn't He take someone else?" She asked sniffling._

"_He needs all the good people like your mum, because they make the best angels. Your mother, and anyone you love, will always be with you, you just can't see them." He paused. "I think people also die so you appreciate what you have now. Never take the people who care about for granted sweetheart."_

_End of flashback_

Lily thought about the Marauders, and how they had been so open and welcoming to her. They had made her feel accepted. She sighed when she thought of all the things she hadn't told them.

She finally rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. 'I need to tell them.' was her last thought before sleep finally took her.

**Please review! Love all of you! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I have to say that you're reviews are keeping me motivated. Christmas break is coming up, so hopefully I will have more time for writing! I love your PM's and your reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter that I just threw together….. Love you all!**

**Disclaimer- Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Lily was feeling very impatient. She shifted restlessly while Madame Pomfrey poked and prodded at her. She would finally be able to be set free from this priso-erm... _Hospital Wing_ that she had been kept in for the past three days. The matron had wanted to make sure that her blood was replenishing well enough.

She had accidentally given Lily an overdose, because Lily was smaller than the average 17 year old. It had resulted in a lot of confusion and laughter on the part of the Marauders as Lily didn't speak in english for a full three hours.

Lily grimaced thinking of the headache that had come after. That had called for her to spend an additional night. She finally was released and rushed as quickly as she could.

Tomorrow was her parents anniversary. She felt her shoulders droop. Luckily it was Saturday, and she could the day wallowing. She turned the corner and ran into something hard and warm.

She felt herself start to fall backwards, only to have strong arms wrap around her waist and hold her upright.

She opened her eyes and looked into the concerned face of James.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see- Did I hurt you?", he asked frantically. He looked her over for any apparent injuries.

Lily laughed and squirmed out of James' arms. He reluctantly let her go.

"I'm fine, James. Honest." She assured him.

He gave her the a skeptical look and said "Are you ever fine? You always seem sad."

Lily was slightly surprised that he was observant. Of course he had to have picked up by now that she didn't like discussing her family beyond Granddad and Dani.

"Sorry" James said noticing her silence. "You don't have to respond to that."

"It's fine" Lily murmured. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I was coming to get you and bring your horse-dog, but somehow I managed to misplace her..." He trailed off looking around as they walked.

Lily put two fingers in her mouth and let out a soft whistle. James looked at her strangely. Within fifteen seconds, a large black mass was hurtling towards her.

"Lena!" Lily cried out smiling as she bent down to give her dog a hug.

The dog whimpered and nudged her with her nose. She licked her wrists anxiously and peered at her with huge blue eyes.

"I'm fine, baby girl. I'm fine." Lily whispered to her.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. James shooting sideways looks at Lena every now and then. She was being quite overprotective of Lily; walking in between her and James, and growling at anyone who walked by. No one stopped to chat. Not that they did so much before.

Lily walked up to her dorm in the Heads Tower, and collapsed on her bed in exhaustion. She never slept very well in a hospital environment.

She slept for several more hours...before the nightmares began again.

Her fathers scream, her mother's body crumpled on the floor. Her big sister's eyes glaring at her; blaming her for their death. The horrible music that seemed to fill her ears as the caskets were lowered into the ground. Once she held her father's hand. Then it was gone. That terrible fire that followed her. The emptiness and how it filled her. Two graves. Two people. So many broken hearts. Music. Music and blackness _everywhere._

LIly woke with a gasp of stifled pain. She could feel a familiar panic rising inside of her, and she couldn't breathe. Those horrible notes were everyone. It sounded like the wails of a thousand pianos being smashed to pieces. Lena awoke and rushed over to her whimpering at the broken state of her master.

She remembered a trick for stopping anxiety attacks that her psychiatrist (the one she had hated) had taught her.

"Close your eyes and think of happy things." Dr. Phil (yes that was really his name) had told her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately the pain in her temples intensified and her body started shaking harder. 'Well this method sucks.' Lily thought. She tried to think of a happy thought to get rid of this panic attack.

She glanced at her clock. 2:00 am...her parent's wedding anniversary..

_Flashback_

"_Daddy?" A timid six-year-old Lily asked._

"_What's the matter baby?" Her father asked wiping the sleep from his eyes. It was two in the morning._

"_I had another bad dream..." No sooner had she finished her sentence her father stood and scooped her up in his arms. He walked over to the old upright piano in the corner of his room. He sat down and she stared up him, still upset._

_He looked down at her and said "Well little bird, when I was little, my mother used to sing this song to me whenever I got scared. She said that it would make all the bad things in the world disappear for a while."_

_Lily looked from his face to his hands as he began playing and singing the song Edelweiss. Even at the age of six she had impeccable memorization skills when it came to music. Her father repeated the song until she had fallen asleep again in his lap. He smiled down at her and tucked her into bed._

_End of Flashback_

Lily shakily stood up. That song had always made her feel better; no matter the circumstances. She crept down the stairs silently to the piano and began to play.

James' POV

James was having a tough time sleeping. There was just too much on his mind. He kept seeing Lily's broken form in the hospital wing and felt rage for his stupid bitch of an ex-girlfriend.

'I can't believe that I used to be like them.' He thought in disgust rolling over. His thoughts drifted back to Lily.

'I can't believe that she actually forgave us for everything we did to her.' He winced remembering all the cruel pranks he and his friends had played on her, thinking that she was just some stupid girl. How wrong he had been.

He was disrupted from his musings by soft footfalls coming down the stairs. He frowned and stood up, slowly walking towards the door. He heard the sweet music and Lily's soft voice singing. She felt the corners of his mouth lift but she sounded wrong. She sounded so sad.

Her opened the door and soundlessly descended the stairs. Lily was sitting at the piano with her eyes closed. There were tears sliding down her porcelain cheeks. Lena stood dutifully next to her.

James reached out when she finished and put his hand on her small shoulder. She jumped in fright. When she saw it was him she turned away and desperately wiped her face to an attempt to rid it of tears.

"I'm sorry if I woke you.." She said in a shaky voice. She sounded so incredibly guilty that James almost chuckled. One look at her face banished all thoughts of laughter however.

"Lily, what's wrong?" James asked gently, sitting down on the armchair beside her. He felt her body start to shake with suppressed sobs and without thinking he pulled her into his lap and stroked her hair. She finally seemed to let whatever was inside her out and started to brokenly cry into his chest.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there, but he didn't mind at all. He was reminded of just how tiny she was as she sat in his arms and fell to pieces.

"I-I'm so sorry." She managed to get out between sobs.

"For what?" James was perplexed. If anything he should be the one apologizing. He had made her cry!

"I just mi-miss them so much!" Lily whimpered. James felt himself freeze. He suddenly had a terrible feeling that he knew what she was going to say.

"Miss who Lily?" He asked sharper than he intended.

She didn't respond. She felt terrified that if she told James that he wouldn't treat her the same anymore. She wouldn't be able to handle his pity. No one really knew how she felt. She felt unlucky. Everyone; mum, dad, grandma, was gone! Her sister hated her as did the rest of her family, and Granddad was sick. She had an irrational feeling that if she opened up completely to the Marauders, they would end up hurt.

She missed her mother's soft smiles, her father's melodic voice and his rumbling laughter, her grandmother and her stories about angels, her sister who used to be her best friend, the world that didn't hate her because of who her parents were. She was just exhausted.

She stayed silent and James stayed rigid. Finally she turned to him and spoke softly, but fiercely.

"You have great friends James. Never..never take them for granted. Never take your family for granted, because one day when you're least expecting it...you'll wake up and they'll be gone. Just-just gone."

James finally understood why she was the way she was. His heart fell into his stomach.

"What happened?" He finally managed.

"Does it matter?" Lily asked laughing humorlessly. She didn't sound like herself. She sounded bitter. "My mom had a brain aneurysm. I walked in and found her on the floor in my living room after school one day. I was six and I got scared when she wouldn't wake up. Then when I was seven and a half, my grandmother had a stroke and died. When I was nine, my father died in an explosion that almost took my life as well. I would be dead now if it weren't for Lena..." She trailed off and looked at her loyal canine friend.

"Lily... I'm so sorry that we- that we taunted- that we tormented- I didn't. We didn't." James was becoming incoherent.

"James it's okay. We're all just young and stupid." Lily said softly. She stood up slowly from his warm embrace. "Thank you for listening."

**Well what do you think? Like it? Hate it? want to kill me for not updating? I understand. and i am sorry. High school is rough. updating was so much easier when it was summer... love you guys! -lucie127**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well the cat's outta the bag now. How will the Marauders react? What will happen next? R&R. If you send encouraging words, I will be so much more likely to update. Just think about that. ;) Enjoy the chapter! -lucie**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Lily hadn't been sure what to expect. She had thought either the Marauders were going to pretend that they didn't know about her family, or they were going to be walking on eggshells making sure they didn't say the wrong thing. She was wrong.

The first thing that Sirius had done was give her a bear hug. She had been walking down her stairs, yawning Sunday morning, and he had jumped out of nowhere and squeezed her until she was almost certain she was going to die. It had both frightened and amused her. He had simply replied to her quizzical and concerned look by saying "I have a screwed up family too. Your case is a bit worse."

Leave it to Sirius to somehow make the situation morbidly amusing. Remus had given her an understanding look which made her insides cringe, and a hug. Peter had just given her a cautious look, like she might blow up at any second. James was just...James.

Three days before winter break she received a letter from Dani at breakfast.

Little Red-

I'm really sorry, but I have to stay at the Institute for a week longer than expected. A couple more kids were introduced to the program, and we need all the manpower we can get right now. Granddad is also stuck at the airport in Switzerland. The weather is expected to clear up there around Saturday, which is around the time that I can come home. In other words, you have a whole free week to just yourself and your respectable canine. I know this sucks and I'm so sorry. You have Granddads permission to visit anyone you want. At least we'll all be home for Christmas. I miss you like crazy little bird. I look forward to seeing you again. I love you! Tell Lena that I love her more (I'm just kidding).

Love, your cousin/brother/best friend Dani

Lily read the letter again and sighed. Oh well. A week to herself might be nice... 'or depressing.' Lily thought glumly.

"What's this?" James asked, shamelessly plucking the letter from her hands.

"Hey!" She protested trying to get it back. He was too tall.

"I hate tall people." Lily grumbled under her breath causing James to shoot a crooked smile her way. She felt angry with herself when she felt her heart start to beat faster.

"Hey this is perfect!' James exclaimed.

"What's perfect?" Sirius asked looking up from his toast. James handed him her letter which made her scowl at him. He just chucked.

"Might I ask why this is perfect?" Lily asked. "I'm going home to an empty house, and you say "this is perfect?!".

"Of course you're not going home, love! You're staying with me and Sirius!" James exclaimed exuberantly.

"Pardon?" Lily asked looking dumbfounded. "When exactly did this get determined?"

"Well Evans, Christmas is not a time to be alone, and your cousin/brother/best friend said that you could stay with anyone you wanted for that week. My parents love having visitors around. I have suspicions that they love Sirius more than me." James said ending his sentence with an amused expressions.

"It's not a suspicion Prongs. It's true." Sirius said lazily. Remus and Peter smirked at their breakfasts. They had been watching the whole exchange with silent amusement. "Besides, little Lily, staying alone so close to Christmas is downright depressing. And besides, if you stay alone you might accidentally fall down the stairs and break your leg. No one would be home and you would have to stay there until the weekend." He explained in very un-Siriuslike matter-of-fact tone.

Everyone stared at him. He looked up. "Look, I know I'm good-looking. No need to stare people; they will be plenty of time in the future for that." He winked obnoxiously. Lily laughed. Sirius was so strange sometimes.

"Anyways James, really I'm fine at home. There will be plenty to do I'm sure." Lily said trying to reject his offer politely. There was no way in hell she was meeting anyone's parents. Especially parent's as influential as James'.

"Don't be stupid Lils. You're coming, even if I have to drag you there myself." James replied with a faux innocent expression.

Lily sighed but felt her resolve harden. She was not going to let him win this time.

Roughly three days later-

How on earth did she let him win?! She wasn't sure what had done it. Either the pouty looks, the pleading, the beggins, and the excited letter from his parents that said things like "We would love to meet another one of your friends...Just so exciting...About time for another girl in the house... the more the merrier...Head Girl no less...wonderful taste in friends James...absolutely thrilled"

How could she possibly say no to that? So there she sat, having a panic attack in a compartment. She had shrunk her guitar case and put it in her bag, but decided to carry her violin. She never went anywhere for extended periods of time without at least a few of her instruments.

After watching the boys play Exploding Snap and giggling as Lena jumped a mile in the air and barked furiously at each explosion, they finally arrived at the platform. Sirius got her bag down and James grabbed it before she could. She glared at him, but he shot her an easy smile and started down the train corridor towards to exit.

She had no idea how he could carry all of that at once. She whistled Lena to heel, grabbed her violin and walked down the corridor with Peter. Peter and Remus would be going to their homes, but had promised to visit often via Floo.

She saw James gently embracing an older woman that Lily assumed was her mother. She was tall, and had shoulder-length reddish hair and hazel eyes that James must have inherited. James father stood embracing Sirius. He was James in every other way. He was very tall, with broad shoulders, wore glasses, and had messy black hair and dark blue eyes. Although the slight wrinkles indicated that they were older, they were both still attractive.

Mrs. Potter released James and then spotted her. Her eyes immediately brightened. "Mum, Dad, this is Lily" James introduced. Mrs. Potter immediately gave her a hug.

"It's so nice to meet you dear!" She said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Mrs. Potter." She replied with a smile.

"Oh please call me Anne!" Mrs. Potter replied.

Lily smiled and made small talk with Mr. Potter for a few moments before they started their way through the station.

They loaded their bags onto a cart and pushed their way through the platform. As in school, James and Sirius walked on either side of her protectively. She reluctantly side-apparated with Mrs. Potter in an alley a block away from the train station. Clutching Lena's collar tightly, the world went black for a moment, and she felt pressure everywhere. Just when it was becoming overwhelming, it eased and she opened her eyes.

She looked up in admiration at the beautiful landscape around Potter's house rivaled the Evan's in size, yet instead of a barn, it had a Quidditch field. She felt James come up beside her and take her hand casually.

"Your home is very beautiful." Lily said politely to Mrs. Potter.

"Thank you dear! It will be so nice to finally have another girl around this place. Honestly it has been too long." Mrs. Potter replied rolling her eyes.

Lily smiled. She had a feeling that she would come to like Mrs. Potter very much. Together the five of them plus Lena walked towards the mansion. When she entered the hall she looked up in awe at the beautiful staircase and chandeliers.

Sirius bumped into James lightly to tell him to move, but this caused James to lose his grip on Lily's bag momentarily. Sheet music escaped a side pocket and scattered across the floor. Lily looked down at it, and then looked at James in disbelief. Rolling her eyes she quickly started to scoop up what she could from the floor. Mr. Potter had curiously picked some piano music up.

"What's this?" , he asked curiously.

James quickly responded before Lily could utter an excuse. "Lily writes music Dad, and she's really good."

"This is incredible!", Mr. Potter said looking over the complicated sequences. "How long have you been composing for?"

James and Sirius looked at her curiously, and Lily flushed. "I've been writing music since I was five." She said carefully. That is actually a piece I wrote when I was six. I am nearly done turning it into a duet for violin and piano. The piece you're holding is the original copy."

Mr. Potter stared at her in disbelief. "You wrote this when you were _six_?!" he asked looked taken aback.

"Yes sir." Lily responded feeling slightly nervous.

"Would you at all mind if I looked at this?" He asked timidly. "I play piano and it's been so long since I've had a real challenge."

"No that would be great!" Lily exclaimed. "It's always nice to get another musicians input on a piece."

He smiled exuberantly, as Lily handed him the rest of that particular piece. James felt proud of her. His dad always had reservations that stuck around for a bit after meeting new people. In these times, you just couldn't be too careful, but Lily had won him over very quickly.

"C'mon Lils, I'll show you where you'll be staying." He said nudging her with a smile. He was excited for the week. This was going to be great. He could feel it.

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I really want to make it past 100, and we're almost there... plleeeassseee review and tell me what you think . I work alone, so I apologize for any spelling, grammar or typo errors that this chapter or any chapter contains. Thank you for all your support! I love you guys! -Lucie**


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